Accessibility Services

Bernards Township Library seeks to make its services, facilities and programs available to all patrons, including those with disabilities. 

• The lower level entrance is equipped with automatic doors that are wheelchair-accessible with designated parking spaces nearby.  An elevator is available to all patrons.  Upstairs and downstairs bathrooms have walker-accessible stalls.  Two wheelchair-accessible restrooms are located on the lower floor.

• Patrons may request reasonable accommodations when use of library resources and collections proves to be challenging.  Reasonable accommodations may include staff assistance for location or retrieval of library materials, online catalog searching, or other hands-on library assistance. For further information, contact the Circulation Staff in person, by phone (908-204-3031, ext. 2), or by email (circ-ber@mainlib.org).

• Reference service and research assistance are available to all patrons, at the library or from home.  For assistance from home, contact the Reference Staff by phone (908-204-3031, ext. 4), by email (reference@bernardslibrary.org), by text (908-365-0776). 

• Home Borrowing is available through the Somerset County Library System for residents that are 65+ and/or disabled and live in Somerset County. More information 

• All Bernards Township Library cardholders in good standing have access to electronic resources from home.  These include

  • eAudiobooks

  • eBooks, with accessibility options to make print easier to see.

  • Streaming video and music

  • eMagazines

  • Various reference resources

  • Language learning resources

  • Genealogy resources

  • Colorblind Glasses

• In addition to standard print materials, Bernards Township has physical materials in the following formats:

  • Large Type books

  • Large Print Readers Digest

  • Audiobooks

    • Books on CD

    • Playaways

  • Video DVDs, many with closed captioning

• Bernards Township Library has the following technological aids to assist our patrons

  • Browsealoud, available for use with the Library catalog

    • Supportive software that includes speech, reading, and translation tools to make the catalog easier for users with dyslexia, low literacy, visual impairments and English language barriers.  For further assistance, contact the Reference Staff in person, by phone (908-204-3031, ext. 4), by email (reference@bernardslibrary.org), by text (908-365-0776).

  • Colorblind Glasses, which can be checked out for up to two weeks.

    • Theck out these glasses to see more clearly the next time you visit a museum or park.  They are appropriate for indoor and outdoor use.  Note: these glasses are designed to assist those with red-green color blindness.

  • Hearing Helpers, which can be checked out for up to two weeks.

    • Personal FM System with a transmitter and receiver, which picks up and broadcasts sounds up to 100 feet away.  It has the ability to amplify sounds and reduce background noise

  • Website

    • www.bernardslibrary.org is fully functional for those with impaired vision.  

  • PCs

    • For assistance adapting Library computers to improve accessibility, please contact the Reference Staff in person, by phone (908-204-3031, ext. 4), by email (reference@bernardslibrary.org), by text (908-365-0776).

If you are unable to read or hold books due to a physical or learning disability, ask us about how to set up an account with The New Jersey Talking Book and Braille Center.